Described herein are processes and devices that coalesced and/or collapse areas in a region of a virtual universe to conserve computing resources. Some embodiments are directed to detecting an indication to reduce usage of a computing resource in the virtual universe and, in response, determining the first area of the virtual universe for coalescing and collapsing into the second area of the virtual universe. In some embodiments, the first area comprises a plurality of virtual universe objects. Some embodiments are further directed to selecting a first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects for moving from the first area into the second area, coalescing the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area, and, in response, collapsing the first area of the virtual universe.
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1. A method of coalescing and collapsing a first area of a virtual universe into a second area of the virtual universe, the method comprising: a computer detecting an indication to reduce usage of a computing resource in the virtual universe; the computer determining the first area of the virtual universe for coalescing and collapsing into the second area of the virtual universe in response to said computer detecting the indication to reduce usage of the computing resource in the virtual universe, wherein the first area comprises a plurality of virtual universe objects; the computer selecting a first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects for moving from the first area into the second area; the computer coalescing the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area; and the computer collapsing the first area of the virtual universe in response to said computer coalescing the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area.
A method for saving computing resources in a virtual world. When the system detects a need to reduce resource usage, it identifies a first area to "collapse" into a second area. The first area contains virtual objects. The system selects a subset of those objects, moves them from the first area into the second area, effectively merging them. Then, the first area is collapsed, freeing up resources. This is done by a computer system running the virtual world.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer collapsing the first area further comprises one of clearing the first area of remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects, reducing display quality of the remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects, or cropping out the first area from the virtual universe, and wherein the remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects consist of the plurality of virtual universe objects other than the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects.
In the virtual world collapsing method, after moving objects to the second area, the system further collapses the first area by either completely removing any remaining objects, reducing the display quality of the remaining objects, or completely cropping out the first area from the virtual world. The "remaining objects" are those that were NOT selected to be moved into the second area during the coalescing phase described previously.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer selecting the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects further comprises the computer identifying those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive virtual universe objects.
In the virtual world collapsing method, when selecting which objects to move from the first area to the second area, the system specifically identifies and prioritizes interactive objects within the first area. These are objects that avatars can interact with, indicating they are more important to preserve.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer selecting the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects further comprises: the computer analyzing whether an avatar is likely to interact with one or more of those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive virtual universe objects; and the computer selecting the one or more of those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive virtual universe objects as the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects.
In the virtual world collapsing method, the selection of interactive virtual objects to be moved is refined by analyzing whether a user avatar is likely to interact with these objects. If an avatar is likely to interact with one or more of the interactive objects, those specific objects are selected as the first set to be moved from the first area to the second area. This anticipates user behavior.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the computer analyzing activity in the first area and the second area; and the computer determining whether collapsing the first area would reduce the usage of the computing resource based on the computer analyzing the activity in the first area and the second area.
The virtual world collapsing method includes analyzing activity levels in both the first area (the area to be collapsed) and the second area. The system determines if collapsing the first area will actually reduce resource usage based on this analysis. For example, if the first area is nearly empty, collapsing it will likely save resources.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the computer analyzing the activity further comprises the computer analyzing an amount of movement of avatars in and out of the first area and the second area.
The activity analysis within the virtual world collapsing method involves tracking the movement of avatars in and out of both the first (collapsing) and second (destination) areas. High avatar traffic in an area would suggest that collapsing the area could negatively impact the user experience, and is therefore considered.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: the computer reducing usage of the computing resource; wherein the computer reducing the usage of the computing resource comprises one or more of the computer turning off the computing resource, the computer reducing a rate of computer processor cycles on the computing resource, the computer reducing a rate of data transfer by the computing resource, or the computer reducing a rate of memory access on the computing resource.
The virtual world collapsing method is initiated to reduce the usage of a computing resource. This reduction can be achieved by: turning off the computing resource, reducing the processor cycle rate, reducing the data transfer rate, or reducing the memory access rate of the resource. The collapsing process is triggered by a need to actively manage these resource constraints.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer coalescing the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area further comprises the computer moving the first set of the plurality of objects from the first area into the second area.
In the virtual world collapsing method, the act of "coalescing" the selected objects involves physically moving those objects from the first area, which is slated for collapsing, into the second area. This ensures the important interactive elements are preserved and remain accessible within the virtual environment.
9. A computer system for coalescing and collapsing a first area of a virtual universe into a second area of the virtual universe, the computer system comprising: one or more processors, one or more machine-readable memories and one or more machine-readable tangible storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to detect an indication to reduce usage of a computing resource in the virtual universe; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine the first area of the virtual universe for coalescing and collapsing into the second area responsive to detecting the indication to reduce usage of the computing resource in the virtual universe, wherein the first area comprises a plurality of virtual universe objects; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to select a first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects to move from the first area into the second area; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to coalesce the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to collapse the first area of the virtual universe responsive to coalescing the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area.
A computer system is designed to collapse areas in a virtual world to save resources. The system uses processors, memory, and storage. It detects when resource usage needs to be reduced. It then determines which area to collapse into another. The first area to collapse contains multiple virtual objects. The system selects a subset of those objects to move. It moves those objects into the second area, and finally collapses the first area. This whole process is automated in software.
10. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions to select the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects: identify those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive objects; analyze whether an avatar is likely to interact with one or more of those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive virtual universe objects; and select the one or more of those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive virtual universe objects as at least a portion of the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects.
In the computer system for collapsing virtual world areas, the selection of which objects to move is based on interactivity. The system first identifies interactive objects (those avatars can use). Then, it analyzes if an avatar is likely to interact with these objects. The objects with a high likelihood of avatar interaction are then selected to be moved. This prioritizes the preservation of elements important to users.
11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the program instructions to collapse the first area comprises one of clear the first area of remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects, reduce display quality of the remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects, or crop out the first area from the virtual universe; and wherein the remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects consist of the plurality of virtual universe objects other than the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects.
In the computer system for collapsing virtual world areas, the collapsing of the first area involves one of three options: completely clearing the remaining objects, reducing the display quality of the remaining objects (those not moved), or cropping the first area entirely from the virtual world. This allows for different strategies depending on the desired resource savings and visual impact.
12. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the program instructions to coalesce the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area move the first set of the plurality of objects from the first area into the second area.
In the computer system for collapsing virtual world areas, the "coalescing" step, where objects are moved, is implemented by physically moving the selected set of objects from the first area into the second area. It is a direct spatial transfer of the assets within the virtual environment.
13. The computer system of claim 9 further comprising: program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to analyze activity in the first area and the second area; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine whether collapsing the first area would reduce usage of the computing resource based on analyzing the activity.
The computer system for collapsing virtual world areas also analyzes activity levels in both the area to be collapsed and the destination area. Based on this analysis, it determines if collapsing the area would actually lead to a reduction in computing resource usage. This prevents unnecessary or counterproductive collapsing actions.
14. A computer program product for coalescing and collapsing a first area of a virtual universe into a second area of the virtual universe, the computer program product comprising: one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to detect an indication to reduce usage of a computing resource in the virtual universe; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine the first area of the virtual universe for coalescing and collapsing into the second area of the virtual universe responsive to detecting the indication to reduce usage of the computing resource in the virtual universe, wherein the first area comprises a plurality of virtual universe objects; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select a first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects for moving from the first area into the second area; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to coalesce the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to collapse the first area of the virtual universe responsive to coalescing the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area.
A computer program product, stored on non-transitory storage, collapses a first area of a virtual world into a second to conserve resources. The program detects when resource usage needs to be reduced. It identifies the first area for collapsing, which contains virtual objects. It selects a subset of those objects to move to the second area. The program then moves the selected objects into the second area, and finally collapses the first area to free up resources.
15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the program instructions to collapse the first area of the virtual universe comprises one of clear the first area of remaining ones of the plurality of virtual objects, reduce display quality of the remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects, or crop out the first area from the virtual universe; and wherein the remaining ones of the plurality of virtual universe objects consist of the plurality of virtual universe objects other than the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects.
In the computer program product for collapsing virtual world areas, collapsing the first area involves one of: clearing remaining objects, reducing the display quality of the remaining objects, or cropping out the first area. The remaining objects are those not selected for moving during the earlier "coalescing" step. Different methods provide different trade-offs between performance and visual fidelity.
16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the program instructions to coalesce the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area move the first set of the plurality of objects from the first area into the second area.
In the computer program product for collapsing virtual world areas, the step of "coalescing" the objects from the first area to the second involves simply moving the selected set of objects from the first area into the second area. This moves active elements into the remaining world.
17. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the program instructions to select the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects: identify those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive objects; analyze whether an avatar is likely to interact with one or more of those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive virtual universe objects; and select the one or more of those of the plurality of virtual universe objects that are interactive virtual universe objects as at least a portion of the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects.
In the computer program product for collapsing virtual world areas, the selection of objects is based on avatar interaction. The program first identifies interactive objects. Then, it analyzes whether an avatar is likely to interact with these objects, prioritizing objects that avatars use the most.
18. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising: program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to analyze activity in the first area and the second area; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine whether collapsing the first area would reduce the usage of the computing resource based on analyzing the activity.
The computer program product for collapsing virtual world areas includes analyzing activity in both the first and second areas. It uses this analysis to determine if collapsing the first area will truly reduce resource usage. The analysis ensures collapsing benefits the system performance.
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April 2, 2012
August 20, 2013
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